Photo by dbking
I’ve waited awhile to write a post about the MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. And the recent opening of the Sol LeWitt exhibit in its building #7 offers me that opportunity.

First, I can never be confused as an intellectual or serious art critique – I can’t always tell the difference in taste or smell between a $15 or $100 bottle of wine either.

However, I do know what I like in both art and wine and taking a walk through the Sol LeWitt exhibit amazes and provokes my senses.

I don’t like everything in the exhibit but there’s enough there to make me return at least one more time in the next 25 years. And 25 years is how long the exhibit has been slated to run to give people precisely the opportunity to return and absorb this massive exhibit over the years.

So what is all the ballyhoo about?

Because of the size of LeWitt’s art, many of which cover complete large walls, it’s rare to find his art represented in more than ones and twos or in private collections. So this retrospective exhibit is indeed a rare and even unique opportunity to get immersed in his life’s work spanning from 1969 – 2007.

About Mass MoCA:

Mass MoCa is located in North Adams in the Berkshires region of Western Massachusetts – an area growing in popularity for vacationers.

Mass MoCa grew out of a desire by Williams College Museum of Art Director Thomas Krens who was looking for space to exhibit large works of contemporary art that would not fit in conventional museum galleries.

The buildings that comprise of Mass MoCA span more than two hundred years, and are a web of 26 buildings on 13 acres. For the majority of time the buildings have been used for commercial manufacturing activities. Mass MoCA took over the buildings in 1986 and opened its doors to the public in 1999.

Since its opening Mass MoCa has had its fair share of controversy, but its rekindled the fortunes of North Adams and as a destination point for a getaway or vacation in the Berkshires.

What to Expect at the Sol LeWitt Retrospective Exhibit:

There are 105 large-scale wall drawings on show in Building #7 over three stories. The specially built interior walls housing the exhibit were installed to LeWitt’s specifications. While LeWitt sadly passed away in 2007 he was actively engaged in preparation for the exhibit.

It took sixty-five artists and student’s six-months to complete the works following the meticulous instructions provided by LeWitt. LeWitt thought the idea of a work was much more pivotal to the creative process than the execution, and he often invited others to help him to make his drawing concepts a reality – A radical approach back in 1969 – I suspect in most conservative art circles it still is today.

Many of the drawings are colorful geometric shapes that awe with their simplicity and precision and the impact they have on your eyes. Some like the wall with lines coming out and around light switches and fire boxes have less impact and inspiration to my senses.

The Williams College Museum of Art just a few miles away in Williamstown is currently running a companion exhibit called “The ABCDs of Sol LeWitt” – this isn’t scheduled to run for 25-years though!

For an instructive view of what it took to create some of this art read a great post about the Sol LeWitt exhibit here.

If a trip to the Berkshires is in your future then I’d recommend carving out a few hours to visit Mass MoCA and taking in the Sol LeWitt exhibit in case you don’t visit for another 25 years.

For more information on the Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective visit Mass MoCA here.

The Berkshires is a beautiful area to visit and you can discover more attractions to visit by checking out our Massachusetts destination section here or our Berkshires Vacations Getaway section here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
New England Travel Online Magazine

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